Press releases
Mediterranean migrant crisis: Up to 700 feared dead in latest shipwreck
Responding to reports that 700 migrants and refugees drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa overnight, Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen said:
“Yet again we have woken up to reports of another tragedy in the Mediterranean, which could bring the total number of migrants who’ve drowned just this year to a shocking 1,500.“This is a Europe-wide crisis that needs a Europe-wide response. How many more will have to drown before EU governments, including the UK, wake up to their responsibilities to save lives?“In the run up to the UK general election, now is the time for all UK political parties to commit to supporting an effective EU-led search-and-rescue operation.”
On 28 April, Amnesty will launch a new report which offers an in-depth analysis of the current refugee and migrant crisis in the Mediterranean and includes direct testimonies of survivors of shipwrecks during the first three months of 2015. It details how current search-and-rescue operations are a far cry from what is needed to address the humanitarian crisis in the central Mediterranean.